Aitutaki (also known as Araura, Ararau and Utataki) is one of the Cook Islands, an island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. Located north of the island of Rarotonga, the archipelago's main population centre, Aitutaki is an "almost atoll" with a maximum elevation of 123m (the hill Maunga Pu), and has a population of approximately 2,000. The barrier reef that forms its basis is roughly the shape of an equilateral triangle with sides of 12km. The southern edge is almost totally below the surface of the ocean, and the eastern side is composed of a string of small islands. The western side contains many of Aitutaki's important features, including a boat passage through the barrier reef allowing for anchorage close to shore at Arutanga. To the north is the bulk of the main island, with a fertile volcanic soil.
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